All about hormones!
At the most basic level, a hormone is a chemical made in one part of a living thing that travels around and affects other parts of that thing. Hormones are as old as the hills, and probably evolved when life on Earth was nothing but cells bobbing in the primordial seas. The special organs in […]
While you’re in there: Birth control for right after having a baby
Planning for a baby can be overwhelming. You’re dealing with prenatal care, setting up a nursery, making a birth plan, and simply preparing to be responsible for a new life. But the real work starts when you get that newborn home—and the last thing you’re going to want to worry about is an unplanned pregnancy. […]
The Implant (Birth Control)
Take a knee and listen up because when it comes to learning how the implant works, Coach Nottadadi will set you straight. original post
Period pain? Birth control can help!
Having a painful period can mess up your day, or week—or weeks! Every woman’s period is different and the same woman’s periods are often different over time. So how do you know if the pain you have with your period is normal? And what can you do to make your periods less painful? My periods […]
Got a health condition? Know your birth control options!
There is an effective birth control option for everyone—including those with health conditions like heavy or irregular periods, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, or breast cancer. Some methods can actually help treat certain conditions. Let’s look at six fairly common medical conditions and the birth control methods that are best for each. 1. Painful or […]
Um, can I get pregnant if…? Part 2!
We got so many questions about pregnancy scares in the comments of the original “Um, can I get pregnant if…?” that we decided it was time for part 2. Last time we talked about specific sex acts that could lead to pregnancy—this time we’re talking the chance of pregnancy in various circumstances. Can I get […]
Birth control for breastfeeding moms
Now that your bundle of joy has come, it’s time to snuggle up with that new-baby smell and settle into being a mom. Between that and dealing with the effects of sleep deprivation— going to the grocery store in pajamas, falling into bed right after dinner, and drooling in public —you’ve got enough to worry […]
Abuse by birth control sabotage
By Dr. Liz Miller, MD, PhD, the Chief of Adolescent Medicine at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC. About twelve years ago, I was working as a doctor in a clinic in California. A young woman came in and requested a pregnancy test. Her test was negative. I asked her if she wanted to be […]
Stress, depression, and birth control…
Feeling stressed or depressed can make it harder to do all kinds of basic things —like get to work or school, sleep well, and make decisions. Turns out it can also make it harder to stay on top of your birth control. The study Almost 700 women in Michigan, ages 18-19, took part in a […]
Birth control bullies: When your partner wants your method to fail
When I was training to become a doctor, one of my patients was a 25-year-old woman. She already had one child and didn’t want to get pregnant again. She’d been using the birth control patch , but came to me because the patch wasn’t working for her. When I asked her “why not?” she said, […]
